The Indian Government has petitioned a Delhi High Court to reverse a 2015 decision that exempted Amazon from paying customs and duty on Kindle e-readers that entered the country. This will undoubtedly result in millions of dollars of additional revenue that Amazon will have to pay to stay competitive against Flipkart.The Kindle saga began in 2012, when Amazon approached the … [Read more...] about Indian Government Wants to Charge Amazon Customs and Duty on Kindles
Amazon
KDP Offers Authors a New Sales Dashboard
There's little doubt that Amazon has been the driving force behind the digital publishing revolution, including its impact on self-publishing. The once-daunting process of being an author meant navigating some treacherous waters on both the creative side and the business side of things. But with the Kindle Direct Publishing platform, authors have enjoyed a fairly … [Read more...] about KDP Offers Authors a New Sales Dashboard
Why Isn’t Amazon Doing More for Book Reviews?
years, Amazon has received heaps of criticism surrounding book reviews. First it was that their system was flawed, putting up with authors who purchased blocks of positive reviews in order to boost their sales. Unfathomably, there were also accusations of authors purchasing blocks of one-star reviews to smear a competitor's book, although that seems like a good way to waste a … [Read more...] about Why Isn’t Amazon Doing More for Book Reviews?
The Handmaid’s Tale: Book to Movie and Back to Book?
Margaret Atwood's frighteningly realistic dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale is generating a lot of buzz these days. Admittedly, that's largely due to the widely popular Hulu original series based on the book, and perhaps some clever marketing from the studio; teams of eerie fully-decked out Handmaids have cropped up everywhere from SXSW to state legislature buildings. But … [Read more...] about The Handmaid’s Tale: Book to Movie and Back to Book?
Amazon’s New Bestseller Lists Amazon Charts Aids Discoverability
One of the biggest problems plaguing both readers and publishers--from the major household name to the individual self-published author--is discoverability. To put it mildly, there is simply too much to read for books to automatically standout, which is a great problem for book lovers to have. The result, though, is that content owners spend vast amounts of time and money … [Read more...] about Amazon’s New Bestseller Lists Amazon Charts Aids Discoverability
Winning the Buy Box: What Does Amazon Owe to Authors?
Amazon is once again ruffling the feathers of publishers and authors alike, this time for a change in its policy that allows the "buy button" to redirect to the seller with the best customer service rating and pricing for the item. That's all well and good if you're purchasing a kayak from a third-party seller--after all, lower prices and faster order fulfillment are what keep … [Read more...] about Winning the Buy Box: What Does Amazon Owe to Authors?
Amazon Abandons MFNs in eBook Contracts
Amazon's woes across the pond may be coming to an end with the acceptance of its move by the EU. In a hotly contested and lengthy battle, Amazon has agreed to remove "most favored nation" clauses, and the EU has made that legally binding.MFNs have practically guaranteed that Amazon would always have the lowest prices on ebooks, and that hasn't sat well with either retailers … [Read more...] about Amazon Abandons MFNs in eBook Contracts
Amazon Underground Android App Store is Closing This Summer
The Amazon Underground App Store was a bold experiment that was launched in 2015. The main premise was to offer paid apps for free and Amazon would pay developers depending on the amount of time that users were engaged. The money Amazon would pay app development companies stemmed from banner and video advertisements. Amazon has just announced that Underground is shutting down. … [Read more...] about Amazon Underground Android App Store is Closing This Summer
The Ongoing Curse of Author Bullying
Over the years, a number of authors--both high profile and never-heard-ofs--have suffered under the joint efforts of internet trolls who come together to leave one-star reviews, often on books they've never bought, never read, and never heard of. Entire blogs have been created about author bullying and the just as guilty behavior of some authors who've attempted to take matters … [Read more...] about The Ongoing Curse of Author Bullying
Texture is launching a one million dollar ad campaign
Texture is one of the largest digital magazine platforms and is currently available in Canada and the United States. The company is in the midst of launching a new ad campaign for print and digital, and has earmarked one million dollars. Â It is going to highlight news and political magazines and will hopefully lead to more paid subscriptions for their app for Apple and … [Read more...] about Texture is launching a one million dollar ad campaign
Amazon KDP Unveils Kindle Create Word Doc Conversion Tool
If you're a self-published author, writing your book is only half the battle. Some might even argue that it's the easy part of being an author. Indies have been beaten over the head for years now about the need to hire professionals to take the manuscript and turn it into a book, with costs associated with editing, proofreading, cover design, formatting, and marketing. The … [Read more...] about Amazon KDP Unveils Kindle Create Word Doc Conversion Tool
New Prime Reading Offer Asks Authors to Give Up Royalties. Here’s Why They Should.
As if Amazon didn't already have enough critics, the company has unleashed a new invitation-only offer that is going to raise some author ire. It's new Prime Reading membership, a free benefit of having an Amazon Prime membership which is not to be confused with the monthly fee-based Kindle Unlimited, lets customers read pre-selected books at no additional cost. It can easily … [Read more...] about New Prime Reading Offer Asks Authors to Give Up Royalties. Here’s Why They Should.
Amazon May Be Close to a Deal in EU Case
Amazon is no stranger to issues surrounding ebook prices. Stateside, Amazon was a quiet player in the Apple-Big Five lawsuit brought about by the Department of Justice, but in Europe, Amazon is the central figure in the proceedings. At its heart, the issue stems from alleged price fixing that forces the publishers' hands in an already hotly contested topic.But there may be … [Read more...] about Amazon May Be Close to a Deal in EU Case